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Inspired by how Stars Without Number managed to use a fighting system similar to D&D but a skill system similar to Traveller, maybe there can be a way to bolt on some of the stuff from GURPS into RC. And here I’m specifically looking at the version of GURPS 4e as presented in the GURPS Discworld book.
I’m kinda kicking myself for not looking at this book earlier. The original 3e GURPS Discworld book was the first GURPS book I ever got but it was kind of a disappointment since instead of being a stand-alone game, there was a GURPS Lite printed in the back, but the main book itself was more of a Basic Set + CI + CII kind of game. So this second attempt came out in 2002, just four years after the original, I’ve been missing out, I should’ve bought it 22 years ago instead of just picking it up off a Bundle of Holding the other day.
Anyway, design goals:
Magic system we’re spoiled for riches. Easiest is probably to just use RC’s system straight up. Fits pretty well with the Vancian system as described in The Color of Magic, so that’s what I’m gonna go with in this text. Another option is to use Wonder & Wickedness. That’s often my goto when in want of a magic system. The third option would be to use the system from GURPS Discworld itself. That, I fear, is beyond my ability. It seems simpler than RPM but still more than I can figure out with my li’l pea brain!
The basic idea is that you’re making a character as per the Rules Cyclopedia but you also get some more options for skills, advantages and disadvantages.
As per RC, normal characters get four non-combat skills, high int characters get four plus their adjustment (so int 13–15 gets five skills, 16–17 gets six, and int 18 gets seven).
You can mix and match between the skills in RC chapter 5 and the skills in GURPS Discworld starting on p 71.
In addition, thiefs and mystics can also swap out their extra abilities for other skills. Feel free to change the name of your character class if you change your character so much that you’re no longer good at stealing or being mystical.
That’s for general skills. When it comes to weapons: fighters get four weapon skills, other characters get two. You get more as you level up.
You can also optionally skip the entire skills chapter (chapter 5 in the RC). If you do, you get one compensation: people who do use the skills system, when they use weapons they’re not skilled in then they only deal half damage. But people who don’t use the skill system don’t have that limitation.
Here there are tons of ways to customize your character with points! It’s called character points.
The amount of points you have to spend depends on your ability scores. The worse stats you have, the more points you get to spend here.
For all six of your ability scores, look at the the “bonuses and penalties for ability scores” table on RC p9. Having a value of 9–12 doesn’t cost anything, other scores will have a number.
Sum them up across all six of your scores!
Here, I’ll roll up an example for you:
So that’s gonna cost 20 points since +1 +1 +1 –1 total up to 2.
Subtract that number from five, or from three if your character class can use magic, and multiply by ten!
That’s how many points you get! So low stats have a silver lining of giving you more character points!
Advantages and perks cost points, while disadvantages and quirks give you points! But there’s a limit, you can’t have an infinite amount of disadvantages. Let’s say... 75 points? Decide with your own group!
You can also get even more skills at this point: that costs four points per skill.
You get even more points as you level up. Between every level you get nine points. You get them based on the experience points you have. Every tenth of a level gives you a character point.
You can make this as complicated as you wish, with stuff from the GURPS book, for example high strength can cost less if you’re a large character etc etc. That’s all optional!
You can roll up a human (cleric, fighter, thief, magic-user, druid or mystic) as per RC and just skip the advantages part here! The GURPSification part is just giving you extra options, it’s not mandantory.
If you’re going demihuman the advantages chapter is not optional since your demihuman abilties is gonna cost points. Although all the dwarve stuff costs 27 points which most low-stats and mid-stat characters could afford anyway. But it’s a good way to get a feel for the type of beings that are on the Disc. For example there are no hobbit or elf PCs in that setting, but there are plenty of other options.
Typically in RC to use skills you roll a d20 under–or–equal-to the relevant ability score. For people who are obsessed with systems where you roll high, you can instead roll a d20 and add your ability score (your entire score, so if you have 13 you roll d20+13) and then you try to meet-or-beat 21. That gives the exact same odds. Or if you’re making a lot of skill checks you can note on your sheet the number with ten subtracted (so that an ability score of 13 means roll d20+3) and then the number to meet-or-beat would be 11. GURPS has something something 3d6 instead but let’s not go too wild here.
Sometimes it’s just fun to have a more fleshed out character especially in a setting that’s less based on exploring a location. I dunno. This kind of game isn’t my main jam, it’s just, I had the idea for this mashup and wanted to write it down before I forgot it.
By the way, if you really wanna make great characters, check out Hillfolk and the “dramatic pole” idea from that game.
Roll up a RC character and optionally make it more interesting & flavorful with some GURPS stuff!